Ecommerce Roundup - August

Over recent years there has been a significant increase in Shopify merchants selling on Amazon. In fact, tens of thousands of Amazon orders are currently being processed using Shopify. True to Shopify fashion, they recently launched new features to support this increasing trend amongst their merchants.

These new features will be particularly useful to old and new business owners who want to reach 310 million active customers on Amazon each year. These features are currently only available to US Shopify merchants, and Shopify has not yet confirmed when they will be rolled out across the rest of the community.

U.S. store owners can now create Amazon listings, process orders and keep an up-to-date inventory without leaving their Shopify platform. With seven new product categories, this is a huge increase in comparison to the single feature they had previously.

Current Shopify Categories:

Clothing and Accessories

Beauty and Personal Care (NEW)

Health and Household (NEW)

Home and Kitchen (NEW)

Patio and Garden (NEW)

Sewing, Arts and Crafts (NEW)

Sports and Outdoors (NEW)

Toys and Games (NEW)

For merchants who are already ‘Brand Registered’ on Amazon, you can submit Brand Registered listings directly from Shopify. This new announcement is a welcome development to merchants looking to increase sales, and reach a wider target audience.

Following Shopify’s previous announcement about the Mobile Beta, Shopify has officially launched Mobile Admin. Available to all Shopify store owners, Mobile Admin provides quick information about new orders, events and product information.

Shopify’s current mobile app leaves much to be desired when it comes to standard admin visibility. The lack of access to quickview data has been an issue for Shopify merchants, especially when compared to the desktop version. However, with the rise of entrepreneurs running their business from their mobile phone, being able to comprehensively run and manage your Shopify store via an app is a necessity.

Over the coming months, Shopify plans to introduce new features that will allow you to modify products, fulfill customer orders and also accept payments. Have you used the new Shopify’s Mobile Admin? We would love to know what you think.

Congratulations to Shopify, who now have over 500,000 stores! Shopify has shown lots of potential even from the very beginning, which was proven when they were included in Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2012. In 2013, Shopify was on CNBC's Disrupter 50 list, putting them in direct competition with Amazon Webstore services.

By 2014, they had 140,000 active stores, almost 50% growth from 80,000 the previous year. The total sales dollar value of merchandise sold on Shopify in 2016 amounted to $5.5 billion, an increase of 94% over the fourth quarter of 2015. Based on that data alone, it’s clear that Shopify is continuing to grow from strength to strength.

With 500,000 active stores and counting, I think it’s safe to say that Shopify is only getting started! They are leading the charge when it comes to Ecommerce platforms, and have made it possible for anyone to start their online business, from the convenience of their mobile phone.

When searching for information online, most people automatically turn to Google. However, when searching for products the default choice is usually Amazon. If Google has their way, this won’t be the case for much longer! They have introduced a number of innovative shopping features to support their eCommerce vision, directly competing with the likes of Amazon.

In July, they updated their Google shopping features to include a swipeable carousel, replacing the previous static images, which was considerably less engaging. The aim is to amp up product display, making it more exciting, attractive and engaging, allowing for a more enjoyable customer experience. They also introduced more comprehensive filters across mobile products, allowing shoppers to search for products according to specific features such as colour and price etc.

Google Shopping has experienced a considerable rise in the number of orders placed on its platform, with a staggering 171% increase in Q1 2016. Most of Google shopping revenues came from mobile devices in 2016, prompting the addition of a swipeable carousel and filter options.

It goes without saying that Google has a long way to go before it catches up with Amazon in the Ecommerce race. However, they are certainly making huge strides in the right direction.

Shoppers in the UK can now instantly top up their Amazon account by purchasing an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card. You can top up from as low as £5 and up to £250. Anyone who tops up more than £100 in a single transaction, will also get an extra £5 added to their balance. To avail of the £5 offer, you must have received an invitation directly on Amazon.co.uk, and register for the Top Up reward offer.

You can also top up your Amazon account at a local PayPoint: visit the Amazon Top Up InStore website, create a unique barcode linked to your account and pay at any participating PayPoints close to you. Simply present the barcode to the cashier, pay with cash or debit/credit card, and the total amount will be credited to your Amazon account with no service fees. You can also schedule an Auto Top Up if your balance drops below a set amount.

It’s important to note that any deposit to your Amazon account cannot be withdrawn, and any remaining unused balance expires after ten years from the date of deposit.

Facebook has already launched their Marketplace across 17 countries in Europe. Similar to the likes of Craigslist or Gumtree, people can buy and sell goods, or offer services in their local area.

European countries:

Austria

Belgium

The Czech Republic

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Hungary

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Norway

Portugal

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland.

While connecting with friends and family, you can also squeeze in a bit of shopping - all from the comfort of your Facebook app. From something as simple as a pen to a new car, you won’t be short of options when shopping on Facebook Marketplace. Similar to eBay and Amazon, you can view buyer and seller profiles, contact previous buyers for information on the item/seller and contact the seller directly.

In May of this year, 18 million new items were posted on Facebook Marketplace in the United States alone. This platform for buying and selling is also making waves in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico and Chile. With this latest development from Facebook, it looks like they are planning to disrupt the Ecommerce industry. And with more than 2 billion active monthly users, it’s a smart move towards dominating the market.

Walmart recently announced the launch of their online marketplace under the Canadian flagship. Entrepreneurs can now offer their products and services on Walmart.ca in different categories and subsections ranging from gifts, holidays, electronics, toys, appliances, jewelry & watches, health, beauty & pharmacy and much more.

Walmart’s goal is to quadruple the number of products available online by the end of 2017. Rick Neuman, Executive VP of Technology & Ecommerce said, “Our goal is simple – to make shopping easier and more convenient for our customers”. Currently, Walmart Canada operates 410 stores nationwide and serves more than 1.2 million customers on daily basis. In addition, their online store has daily visits of more than 600,000 customers.

Rick Neuman reiterated Walmart’s vision, “The expansion through the Walmart.ca marketplace allows us to rapidly grow our product assortment through sellers we’ve chosen specifically to address the needs of our customers.” Merchants on Walmart US marketplace can easily launch their online store on Walmart Canada Marketplace, without much hassle.